Saturday 29 November 2014

Origami Christmas Wreath

Last year I bought a really cute little paper wreath at a church Christmas market and I was looking at it the other day trying to work out how it was made. It looked like little strips of paper were braided and glued together somehow. So I asked on the Down to Earth Forums if anyone had seen one before or had made one and before I knew it I was given a link to a very easy tutorial and discovered that it was called an Origami Modular Braided Wreath.


Basically you just cut out 18 3 x 3 inch (7.6cm) squares of paper and fold each square into a 'unit' and then the units slot into each other. No glue is required and the wreath can be used as a decoration or on the front of a card. 

I just used some scrapbooking paper I had and I think it was probably a little light so next time I make it I will use a heavier paper as I think it will slot in better and not bend. 


It is just a matter of folding....

 

...and folding...

 

...more folding....



 ...nearly finished...


...just a little bit more folding and flipping...

 

 ...and you end up with one finished 'unit' and there are only another 17 to go :-) Once you have made a couple by following the instructions then you can really speed up and can make 18 in no time.



 Once you have made 18 units then you just slot them in together. 



This is my first try which I was rather pleased with but one of the papers was lighter than the other two so it was hard to slot it in without it bending too much.

I won't replicate a perfectly good tutorial that has clear step by step instructions and a video of how to slot the units together, so if you would like to have a try at making one of these really unusual wreaths then head over to Origami Instructions .com and have a read. I found folding the paper to be quite therapeutic once I got the hang of it. That is until I started getting looks that said 'When are you going to start cooking dinner?'

Don't they look great? There are some more on this Pinterest page as well. Let me know if you have seen them before and if so, have you made them in different sizes?


18 comments:

  1. I am tossing stuff today and could not bring myself to adding the scrap book papers that I bought for other reasons.

    Now, I can pack them, drag them along and make some of these when I move. It will be an excellent activity to have when I do not feel like doing anything useful.

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  2. Good idea, J. These look quite complicated to make but are actually quite easy. Happy packing!

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  3. So nice to meet you , dear.. It was so kind of you to drop by.. I may give your wreath a try as I have 2 or 3 empty ones here.. Thanks.. I am a new follower of your blog.. Hope to get to know you...xo

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  4. It is lovely to have you here, Faye. It is always interesting reading what is happening on the other side of the world. Yes give the wreaths a try. They are quite easy once you get the hang of it.

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  5. That is so cute, I'm not sure I have time before Christmas but I'll bet they would be cute in pastels for spring etc. Kind of reminded me of the chewing gum wrapper chains we used to make! (did I just give away my age?)

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    1. Maybe next Christmas, Kathy. We really don't decorate for spring but I imagine it would be a very welcome season for you in the US.

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  6. Oh you have too much time on your hands by far. Lucky you!

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  7. Well, I was going to say in the post that if you nothing else to do in your life you could make lots of these. LOL!

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  8. g'day nanna chel, lovely post, the wreath looks lovely too, when you finished folding they kind of looked like hats, thinking napoleon hats!
    very clever how some people think up these things

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  9. Yes Selina, I often wonder who sat down and worked out how to design this wreath. An origami expert I guess.

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  10. A lovely wreath for sure, but really - I think the wonder bow is the limit of my cleverness!

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  11. Ha ha, the bow is probably a bit easier to make, Barb. The wreath is not all that hard though.

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  12. Nanna Chel, this looks like a great idea to try. Will be giving it a go too. Thanks for sharing.
    -Shiralee.

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    Replies
    1. This would be just up your alley, Shiralee :-)

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  13. It looks great! I wonder if you could make it out of fabric, ironing and gluing as you go to complete each section, then fit pieces and glue to complete?

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    Replies
    1. I am not sure Joolz. Perhaps it might need interfacing to stiffen it up but then it may not fold properly. It does look nice when completed so would be worth a try.

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  14. That is so clever and very arty looking Nanna Chel. Love it!

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  15. I am not real good at folding paper or following patterns but the instructions for this wreath are very clear. There was only one step I had a bit of difficulty with but that was easily resolved.

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